1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tamper-resistant vending machine. More specifically, the invention relates to a coin-operated vending machine in which the coin changer and cash box are moved from their conventional positions and the coin inlet chute is reconfigured to render the vending machine tamper-resistant.
2. Related Art
Vending machines and other coin-operated devices employ coin acceptor and coin acceptor/pay-out devices, such as coin changers for the convenience of users who do not have exact change. These coin acceptor and coin acceptor/pay-out devices employ electronic coin validators and other electronic mechanisms which are susceptible to a form of tampering known as xe2x80x9csalting,xe2x80x9d that is, pouring a salt water solution into the device in order to short out its circuitry and cause either xe2x80x9cjackpotting,xe2x80x9d that is, the dispensing of all the coins in the coin acceptor, or a free vend.
Also, the coin changers are conventionally located in the main door on the side opposite the hinges, with the cash box positioned underneath to receive coins discharged by the coin changer. Vandals will pry the bottom of the main door of vending machines and steal the cash box, and then squirt a salt water solution in through the coin insert slot to cause jackpotting or set up a free vend.
Devices to prevent tampering with coin-operated machines and their coin acceptors are numerous. U.S. Pat. No. 829,265 to Goeb, U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,561 to Rosapepe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,937 to Parish et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,213 to Spring, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,644 to Rockola et al., are illustrative, and are discussed at length in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,521, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,521 addresses the problem of xe2x80x9csaltingxe2x80x9d by providing a protective jacket for the coin changer, the jacket being made from an elastic material and conforming substantially to the configuration of the coin changer.
However, none of these devices addresses the problem of theft of the coin box. Typically, this problem is addressed by providing some type of vault for the coin box.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,903 to McDonald discloses an enlarged coin box for a product dispenser that utilizes all of the available space in the dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,889 to Adams et al. disclose a money box and vault including a housing with a hollow chamber for receiving a lockable coin box. The coin box has inner and outer relatively rotatable cylindrical housings with coin receiving openings formed therein. The money box and vault are for use in the collection and transportation of money from coin operated machines such as vending machines, and are not adapted to use in vending machines themselves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,938 to Brown discloses a coin box for a vending machine mounted inside a building wall to protect it from vandalism and burglary. Because it is designed for use behind a building wall, it is not adapted for use in free-standing vending machines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,700 to Heraty discloses a hollow post vault for a coin box. The coin box is placed inside the post vault through a bottom port and locked in place above the port by a releasable support member locked inside the post. The post vault is free-standing. Although such a free-standing arrangement is suitable for use with a coin mechanism operating an appliance such as a vacuum machine at an automotive service station, it is unsuitable for use in ending machines.
Although the patents to McDonald, Adams et al., Brown, and Heraty provide some security against vandalism to the cash box, they are not necessarily adapted for use in vending machines, and provide no solution to the problem of xe2x80x9csalting.xe2x80x9d In fact, the prior art treats the problems of xe2x80x9csaltingxe2x80x9d and cash box theft separately, and does not provide any mechanism which addresses both problems simultaneously.
It is the solution to these and other problems to which the present invention is directed.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which, by the positioning and configuration of its coin changer and cash box, is rendered tamper-resistant with respect both to the coin changer and the cash box.
This and other objects of the invention are achieved by the provision of a tamper-resistant door for an enclosure such as a vending machine. The door includes a conventionally-positioned product delivery port, a cash box vault positioned adjacent the delivery port for receiving a cash box, a coin return slot positioned at an upper corner of the delivery port, and a coin changer positioned over the delivery port and the cash box. The coin changer, which is of a conventional variety, includes an inlet for receiving coins, a first outlet in communication with the coin return chute for returning change through the delivery port, and a second outlet in communication with an opening in the cash box vault for depositing change into a cash box in the cash box vault. A changer vault encloses at least the front, top, and side faces of the coin changer.
An elongated coin chute connects a coin slot with the coin inlet of the coin changer. The coin chute has a first section in communication with the coin slot and a second section in communication with the coin inlet of the coin changer. The first section incorporates both a longitudinal drop at its inlet end and a sideways bend adjacent its outlet end, and is provided along its bottom with a plurality of drainage slots. The second section angles downwardly to provide a vertical drop between the outlet of the first section and the inlet of the coin changer.
The cash box vault (and the cash box placed therein) are relocated away from their conventional prior art position on the non-hinged side of the main door to a location adjacent the product delivery port on the hinged side of the door, while the coin changer is relocated away from its conventional prior art position adjacent the non-hinged side of the main door to a central location above the product delivery port and the cash box vault. The new positions of the cash box vault, cash box, and coin changer make it more difficult for a vandal to access them, even if he should succeed in partially prying open the main door.
The slots and sideways bend in the first section of the coin chute are sized and configured to permit coins inserted into the coin slot to roll freely through the first section into the second section, and thence down into the coin inlet of the coin changer. The curvature of the sideways bend will slow the flow of any liquid poured into the coin slot, while the drainage slots permit the liquid to drain out before reaching the second section.